Irons including manually operated spray means



March 25, 1969 FUKUYUKI TsuNoDA 3,434,228

IRONS INCLUDING MANUALLY OPERATED SPRAY MEANS Filed 001;. 16, 1967 Sheet 012 M r 5, 96 FUKUYUKI TSUNODA 3,434,223

IRONS INCLUDING MANUALLY OPERATED SPRAY MEANS Filed Oct. 16, 196? Sheet 2 of 2 WW "I NM 8 United States Patent Odice 3,434,228 Patented Mar. 25, 1969 3,434,228 IRONS INCLUDING MANUALLY OPERATED SPRAY MEANS Fukuyuki Tsunoda, 152-2 Shimonose, Tamlya-cho, Tokushima, Japan Filed Oct. 16, 1967, Ser. No. 675,634 Int. Cl. D06f 75 /06, 75/10, 75 /32 US. CI. 3878 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to improvements in electric irons for household use of a conventional type having no steam spraying device. The terms steam spraying device herein used mean a device in which water is changed into vapor by heat.

In general, electric irons are divided into two types, namely, the irons having a steam spraying device and those without a steam spraying device. Of course, irons having a steam spraying device are handy to use, but due to the provision of a steam spraying device such irons are more expensive and there arises a substantial difference between the price of these irons and that of conventional irons having no steam spraying device. This is one of the reasons that at present conventional irons without a spraying device are still extensively used for domestic use. However, when the iron of this type is to be used, the user must be provided with a separate spraying device, which causes a great trouble to him in handling these two different devices. In addition it is not rare that a sprayer gets lost and is not available at hand when ironing is to be performed.

Thet principal object of the present invention is accordingly to provide a novel iron which, though provided with a spraying device therein, can be manufactured at a low cost the same with conventional irons without steam spraying device.

Described further in detail, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel iron having an enclosed space for containing water disposed within the body thereof and a spraying apparatus having a manually operable spraying device which is communicated with said space and mounted to a portion of said body whereby the abovementioned disadvantages of the conventional type are to be overcome.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an iron having a function therein to effectively prevent the heat of a soleplate from being transmitted to the iron body including a handle section thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view in elevation of an iron in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view in elevation of an iron in accordance with the present invention with parts broken away;

FIG. 3 is a side view in elevation with parts broken away showing an embodiment of the invention with some modifications; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of FIG. 3, in which the imaginary line shows the range of movement of the lever and of the nozzle.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, over a soleplate 2 having a heating element such as a Nichrome wire 1 thereon a body 4 is mounted by a bolt 5, with a heat insulating member of a suitable material interposed between said body and said element, an enclosed space 6 for containing water being provided within the interior of said body. An inlet 7 to said enclosed space 6 is disposed at the upper forward end of said body 4 and a cap 8 provided with a spraying apparatus A is screwed to said inlet 7 in demountable manner. A commonly well-known spray of manually operable type is employed for said spraying apparatus. Although detailed description of its structure is herein omitted, the outline thereof is now given. The apparatus comprises a stationary pipe 9 secured to the cap 8, a sliding member 10 slidably inserted therein and a nozzle 11 provided at the upper end of said sliding member. When a lever 12 integral with said sliding member 10 is depressed as by the finger, the sliding member 10 is moved downward against a spring 13, whereby the liquid in the stationary pipe is compressed and through a passage 14 it is further discharged from said nozzle 11 as atomized water. To construct said body 4, such a material as a hard thermoplastic synthetic resin, metal or hard glass is molded into two separate shapes which are obtained by dividing said body by an imaginary center line. The members thus formed are then firmly bonded together by some means, as by using adhesive agent. The body may also be made of sheet metal through such a commonly known method as sheet metal working. In this case, a separately made container 15 may be disposed within said enclosed space 6 as indicated by an imaginary line in FIG. 2 lest the water should leak. Of course in case said body is to be made of a thermoplastic material such as a synthetic resin or glass, it can be molded directly into the shape by low molding.

In FIGS. 3 and 4 an embodiment of the spraying apparatus A with some modifications is shown. The portion 16 having a large diameter of the sliding member 10 is received by the stationary pipe 9, the threads having a wide pitch thereon being in engagement with each other, and longitudinal grooves 17 are provided at said portion 16 having a large diameter so as to permit the liquid within the stationary pipe 9 to pass upward. Accordingly, when said lever 12 is rotated with slight pressure applied thereon as by the finger, the sliding member 10 moves up and down thereby compressing the liquid within said stationary pipe 9, whereby it is forced up through said grooves 17 and through the passage 14 within the sliding member 10 to be further discharged from the nozzle 11 in atomized water; spraying operation can thus be facilitated. Moreover, in this case, since the nozzle 11 rotates Within a predetermined range, effective atomization can be achieved over a wide area.

Referring to the above-mentioned structure, it will be readily be understood that the present invention has the following advantages. An iron in accordance with the present invention comprises an enclosed space for containing water provided within the body thereof and a spraying apparatus having a manually operable spraying device which is communicated with said space and mounted in a portion of said body, so that by manipulating the lever of said spraying apparatus: with the finger while ironing, spraying can be effected over a wide area ahead of the advancing iron; the necessity of handling two separate devices, namely, spraying and ironing which can not be avoided in using a conventional iron without a steam spraying device no longer arises. Ironing is thus facilitated.

A great advantage of the present invention is that through forming the water container by making use of the interior of the body which has hitherto been a useless space, the iron can 'be made compact in size and simplified in structure without resulting in any increase in size and sacrificing external beauty of appearance thereby making it possible to supply the market with irons at a low price the same as that of the conventional irons without steam spraying device.

It is another advantage of the present invention that further by the provision of the water container within the body, the water filled therein can effectively prevent the heat of the soleplate from being transmitted to the iron body including the handle section, whereby ironing is to be performed comfortably.

What I claim is:

1. An improvement in irons comprising a body provided with an enclosed space therein for containing water and mounted on a soleplate having a heating element thereon with a heat insulating member interposed between said body and said element, an inlet to said enclosed space provided in a front portion of said body, and a manually operable spraying apparatus supported by a cap screwed to said inlet in readily demountable manner, said spraying apparatus provided with a stationary pipe screwed to said cap, a sliding member slidably inserted in said pipe, and a nozzle and a lever which are provided on the upper end of said sliding member, wherein said sliding member and said stationary pipe are engaged with each other by threads there-on having a wide pitch to thereby permit said sliding member to rotate during the downward movement thereof.

2. An improved iron claimed in claim 1, wherein a separately made secondary container is provided within said enclosed space, said spraying apparatus extending into said secondary container.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,080,175 5/1937 Kuno 38--78 3,128,568 4/1964 Schwartz 3878 3,129,523 4/1964 Taylor 38-78 3,160,969 12/1964 Ensley 38-78 FOREIGN PATENTS 243,584 7/ 1946 Switzerland.

PATRICK W. LAWSON, Primary Examiner. 

